Decision fatigue. It’s a phenomenon which probably affects you. Yet, you’re not truly aware of it. Put another way, you’ve likely felt its impact, but just didn’t know what to make of it. Or, more particularly, what to call it. That’s okay. It’s something many people experience a few times. Others are hit with it a lot — a whole lot. Usually, these are individuals in positions of authority. You know, the “decision makers.” Although we joke about it, the truth of the matter is, making decisions gets harder and harder as the day goes on. So, let’s look at some ways to avoid decision fatigue. Is Decision Fatigue Actually Real? The short answer to the question above is a resounding, “Yes!” Decision fatigue is real. In fact, two university researchers examined more than 1,000 decisions made by judges in Israel. Said judges either decided to grant or to deny parole. Prisoners who appeared in the morning, about 9 am, fared quite well. Those offenders had a 70 percent chance of making parole. Decision fatigue can seem harmless enough. Spending a few extra minutes deciding between chicken or beef isn’t the end of the world. But what you may not realize is that those little moments of turmoil could be negatively impacting your business. If left unchecked, decision fatigue can lead to reckless behavior like compulsive spending or, worse, the inability to make any decisions at all. —CNBC.com But, by the time mid-afternoon rolled around, those chances dropped down to just 10 percent. The conclusion, of course, was the judges simply used-up their stamina and therefore, took the simplest and safest way out. Ways to Avoid Decision Fatigue Now, if you’ve ever felt “used-up” at the end of the day, like your brain can’t process any more, decision fatigue is a likely culprit. Here are a few suggestions for how to avoid decision fatigue to better your work performance: Start tomorrow today. At the end of every day, start getting things in order for the next morning. Don’t make big decisions. Just get organized so you’re ready to go when you come back tomorrow. While this might seem too simple, it will have a big impact. Make important decisions early. When you start your day, don’t “ease” into it. Instead, challenge yourself by making the most important decisions when you’re most fresh and have new energy. You’ll see things more clearly and have a better sense of which way to go. Stop second-guessing yourself. In the military, some class instructors tell their students to bite the erasers off of their pencils right before starting a test. It’s not literal — it’s a figure of speech. It means your first intuition is typically the right one; so, don’t second-guess yourself. Snack and exercise every day. It’s a very good practice to have a solid but sensible breakfast in the morning. A light lunch is also a sound practice. But, you might feel a bit worn by mid-afternoon. The cure? Exercise and have a small snack to re-energize. What other ways do you combat decision fatigue? Please share your experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Setbacks are inevitable. They come in many shapes and sizes and some appear from out of the blue. When you encounter a setback, it triggers different emotions. You feel shocked, unprepared, perhaps angry or down. It’s only natural to feel bad after a setback but it’s how you handle it that really matters most. How to Overcome a Setback Everyone experiences setbacks, large and small. During these times it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and maybe even unappreciated. (This is especially true when it involves an interpersonal relationship.) Minor setbacks throw us off for a few hours but others are much more significant and really throw us in a tailspin. While we will all experience roadblocks, we will differ in how we handle them. Some of us have the resilience to just pick up the pieces and move on. Others find it difficult to let go. Either way, how do we learn from the tough times? —Entrepreneur.com Whatever the cause and no matter the size, it’s important to understand you aren’t out of options. Sure, you feel helpless to one degree or another. And, it does bring into question what’s all that time and effort for, anyway? But, if you put things into perspective, you’ll begin to realize it’s not the end-all, be-all. Effective Ways to Deal with a Setback We all know adversary helps to build character. Although, no one welcomes tough times, whether in the form of a setback or something else. So, here are some effective ways to deal with a setback you can put to use: It’s only temporary. Very few setbacks are insurmountable. And, most are only temporary. Realize it is just a temporary situation that will pass. It will only linger and bother you the longer you allow it. If you put it into perspective, it’s merely one of many temporary obstacles. Your goals remain. Sure, it does bring into question what all your hard work is for in the first place. And, it undermines your sense of accomplishment and success. While these are certainly true, it doesn’t change your goals. Refocus on your goals to help you overcome. Reset the timetable. Any setback will throw off the timeline, there’s little way around this fact. But, that doesn’t mean you can adapt and readjust your timetable to make it workable again. Take action, right away. Of course, the worst response is to do nothing at all. It will not get you past the situation and will only serve to make it haunt you even more. Take action straight away and you’ll start to feel better immediately. What other methods would you suggest to get past a setback? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.